The set had become even noisier when she came out.
Mr. Choi was standing next to a good-looking man, seemingly discussing the script.
"Ah! You're done?" Mr. Choi exclaimed as he noticed the duo.
"Hello, Hyun Bin. It's been a while," Mrs. Choi smiled, greeting the younger, good-looking man.
"Hello, President Park. It really has been quite some time since we last saw each other. You look as pretty as always," the man cordially replied.
"Oh my, your mouth is as sweet as ever," the older lady giggled, gushing over the younger man right in front of her husband.
Mr. Choi rolled his eyes at his wife, but did not interrupt their greetings. "Gosh, my wife, how can you flirt with another man right in front of me?" He sighed deeply in faux-sorrow, causing the gathered people to break into amused smiles.
"And this is...?" The A-list actor, Yoo Hyun Bin, glanced at Yeo Ri curiously, his eyes lighting up. He examined her from top to bottom, nodding in appreciation. "Really pretty," he complimented.
"Ah!" Yeo Ri exclaimed, a blush rising on her cheeks.
It was Yoo Hyun Bin, standing in front of her, in the flesh!
She had never thought that a day would come where she could stand face-to-face with an actor that she had constantly seen across the screen. Yeo Ri felt so starstruck that she had forgotten how to function for a moment.
"H-hello...!" As soon as Yeo Ri caught herself staring at the man, she bowed her head in a fluster. How embarrassing! How could she act so weirdly in front of this super-famous celebrity, she inwardly berated herself. What would he think of her now!
Yoo Hyun Bin smiled at the familiar reaction. He knew what kind of effect he had on new people, especially girls. Finding the young girl adorable, he grinned, "Hello!"
"Hyun Bin-ah, you remember that commercial that went viral the other day? She's the girl that everyone was raving about," Mr. Choi, Choi Hyungsik, introduced.
"H-hello, My name is Lee Yeo Ri. Please take care of me," Yeo Ri hurriedly greeted. Her heart thumped wildly. Her legs felt weak from the utter surreality of the situation. How did her life came to this point, she wondered. Just a few months ago, she was living with no direction, no goals, and no meaning, but now... she was facing a top star, in a professional movie set!
"Ah, that girl! My manager-hyung was literally going crazy trying to find out who she was," Yoo Hyun Bin laughed. "He's sick today, so he didn't come with me... this is great, I can make him cry even more. Miss Yeo Ri, do you mind if we take a picture?" He grinned naughtily.
"T-that would be my honour!" Yeo Ri readily nodded, her face still flushed. Usually, it would be her, as a fan, who would ask for a picture together, so this favour was truly not difficult at all.
Choi Hyungsik chuckled as he observed them. Clapping his hands twice to get their attention, he announced, "Alright, you two can take all the pictures you want later. For now, let's get to work. In position, everyone!"
"""Yes~!""" the crowd replied in a cacophony.
"Do your best, Yeo Ri-ah. It's okay—Hyun Bin will take the lead so you don't have to be so nervous," Park Soo Yeon encouraged her young protégé.
Yeo Ri nodded at the woman and exchanged glances with the man in question. Yoo Hyun Bin smiled at her with reassurance, "That's right; you can rely on me."
A staff member led her to enter the hospital room in which she would act in. Yeo Ri took a deep breath as she observed the set. She could feel a jittery feeling travelling through her veins as she stepped into the room.
The room was medium-sized, and there was a lone hospital bed in the middle. Aside from an IV drip, there was no other medical equipment in the room. On the wall adjacent to the door, there was a window that reminded her of her old hospital room. Several bulky video cameras and other filming equipments were placed around the room, making the space seem smaller.
"Get ready," the director said, looking at the monitor of several cameras.
Yeo Ri stood there, thinking. She felt very much out of her element and wondered if there was any way she could alleviate her nervousness.
"Um..." Yeo Ri hesitantly raised her hand after thinking for a moment.
"Yes? What is it, Yeo Ri-ah?" Director Choi patiently asked her.
"That... forgive me for my rudeness, but... can I... make some changes to the room?" Yeo Ri timidly asked the man. She knew she would probably come out as picky and annoying, but she felt that since Mrs. Choi had chosen her due to her experience as a long-term patient, she should try to reproduce that setting as much as possible.
"What do you want to change?" He asked inquisitively. He wanted to know what the young girl whom he had thought of as obedient and quiet had in mind.
"The bed... can it be moved next to the window?" She cleared her throat and responded. "And raise the inclination a little bit... is this possible?"
"Sure," Director Choi raised an eyebrow but still told the staff to do as she said; it was not a hard request at all. Two staff members pushed the bed next to the window, and adjusted the inclination into a semi Fowler's position. Because the position of the bed had changed, the crew had to rearrange the filming equipments again to get the right angles, but everything was done swiftly and barely took ten minutes.
Once the changes were made, Yeo Ri took off her hospital slippers and arranged it neatly next to the bed. With the help of a staff member, she made herself comfortable on the bed.
"Ah!" Park Soo Yeon exclaimed under her breath. With the bed pushed against the window, the scene became very familiar. No wonder Yeo Ri asked for the changes, she nodded in understanding.
"What is it, honey?"
Park Soo Yeon smiled at her curious husband. Patiently explaining Yeo Ri's actions, "I've visited Yeo Ri before at the hospital. The setting was just like that. I guess she feels more comfortable like this. Isn't that so, Yeo Ri-ah?"
"Yes," Yeo Ri nodded with a sheepish smile, agreeing with the woman's deduction. It was indeed more comfortable for her like this. "I thought that it'd be better to emulate my memory since that's the reason President-nim chose me."
"I see," Director Choi nodded. "Alright, then. In position, everyone!"
"Cue—Scene 37, take one!"
Hearing the cue, Yeo Ri took another deep breath and closed her eyes.
"Action!"